I've Always Liked the Cat
by Indigo-Roses
Summary: Kimini, a shy bookworm, has to write a report on an animal of the Zodiac and she picks the cat. Her interest in the cat gets her a friend in Tohru and the rest of the Sohmas, but it seems Kimini is closer to the Sohmas than even she is aware of.
1. The Project and Invitation

**DO NOT BASH ME OR CRITISIZE ME IF THE GIRL IN THIS STORY IS A BIT MARYY-SUE. I had a story and people said the main character was all Mary-Sue or whatever, and that really pissed me off. So, please, if you don't like it, just don't review and don't read. Constructive criticism is welcome and beta readers are wonderful. **

**Anyway, lol, this is a story that was originally meant to be a one-shot, but the idea expanded and, after reading another story (I wuv you Rini, hehe), I have this story. Now, at the beginning it's gonna seem kinda stupid and boring but trust me, it's going to get pretty interesting. Hopefully you'll like it. If not then…whatever. lol. I'll probably keep writing it anyway. **

01: The Assignment

Onizuka Kimini never really fit in with all the other high school students. Though her looks were top notch and she had a smile that could light up a room, her beautiful features were often hidden behind a book or masked by glasses and long black hair which she purposely styled to fall about her face. If anyone ever looked at her, she'd turn away. Her shyness often got the better of her. That's why she could never make any friends in her classes. She'd never try to talk to anyone.

Even though Kimini's self-confidence was low, her grades were very high. She was an honor student in fact. She had a love for studying and gaining more knowledge. Though there are many subjects she's interested in, there was only one that she truly loved. And that was the Zodiac. She knew the legend, she knew all the animals and their personality types. She knew it all so well that she could guess what year everyone in the school was born into. There was one boy in particular, however, that she was unable to guess. One red-haired temperamental boy named Kyo that she still couldn't guess.

"Excuse me…pardon me…sorry…I-I need to get to class…" Kimini muttered to various people as she made her way down the hall one Friday afternoon.

Her next class started in a matter of minutes and she couldn't stand the idea of being late. She was only a few steps away from her next class when she tripped over her own shoes and fell forward, sending the books in her hands flying forward and into a tall red-head nearby. Kimini was so embarrassed by the situation that it was a few moments before she was able to look up and see who she'd hit with her books. Looking down at her, a very angry look on his face, was Kyo Sohma.

"Watch where you're going, you stupid girl!" he shouted.

"I-I'm sorry, Kyo-kun. I was…I just…I didn't mean…" She couldn't form her words (a situation she often faced when around Kyo) and she knew that it was angering the red-head.

"If you've got something to say, then say it!"

"I'm sorry!" she shouted and began gathering her books, "I'm sorry, Kyo, I'm sorry. I was in a hurry to get to –"

And that's when the bell rang.

"I'm late! Oh no, I'm so late."

She finished collecting her books and attempted to get to her feet, only to trip…again…and hit the floor. Kyo sighed and shook his head.

"You're pathetic." He put his hand out, "Get up."

With now pink cheeks, Kimini took Kyo's hand and got to her feet. After brushing herself off a little and tightly gripping her books, she nodded to Kyo and rushed down the hall to her next class. Kyo followed the girl with his eyes until she disappeared into the classroom, then made his way down the hall and into the very same class room Kimini had entered. The two shared a few classes together, but of course, Kyo didn't know. He'd never noticed her. Not once. And had she not fallen and hit him with her books, he probably never would have.

"Okay, class, we've been doing a lot of review on ancient Chinese history and the Chinese zodiac and now it's time to put you knowledge to the test." The teacher crossed his arms over his chest, "I want a report from each of you about an animal of the Zodiac. Two pages long. Due next Wensday."

There wasn't much in class that could make Kimini smile, let alone beam with happiness, but at hearing the assignment, Kimini had a smile that could rival that of a child in a toy store. She already knew which animal she was doing and was already writing the paper in her mind. _Of all the Zodiac animals, the one I find most intriguing is the cat. Though the cat is not officially part of the Zodiac…_

At the back of the classroom, a very annoyed red-head groaned in frustration. _What a stupid assignment. I don't like any of the damn animals. How the hell am I supposed to write about one? Damn it…_

"Now let's take a count of which animal everyone is writing about." The teacher wrote in big letters on the board 'Zodiac Animal Selectons', "Alright, umm, Matsuri-kun, which animal are you writing about?"

"Uhh…The dog." A handsome brown-haired boy sitting next to Kimini

"Alright…Kimini-kun?"

"Huh?" Kimini's soft voice said, "I-um-th-the cat."

"What was that?"

Kimini cleared her throat, "The cat, senpai."

Laughs erupted from the mouths of almost every student in the room. The only ones who remained silent were Kimini, Kyo, and a brown-haired girl sitting next to Kyo.

"Kimini, you're an idiot." Came the voice of a slender brunette sitting behind her, "The cat's not even part of the zodiac! And even it was, it would pale in comparison to the amazingness of the rat." The girl let out a dreamy sigh, "Yuki Sohma was born in the year of the rat…."

Kimini sunk in her chair as several girls let out dreamy sighs at the mere mention of Yuki Sohma, the student council president.

"Students, calm down. Kimini, the cat technically isn't part of the Zodiac, so you can't really write about it. There's no personality traits or anything to go on. How about you write about the rabbit?"

"I want to write about the cat, senpai." Kimini said softly, "I can do it."

The teacher heaved a sigh and wrote 'Kimini Orinozuka – Cat' on the board. The rest of the class said who they were going to do their reports on and class went on. When it was over, Kimini was the first one to walk out. She wanted nothing more than to sit in a corner and cry out of embarrassment. She went to her locker and put her book in, then closed it and slid down on the floor. _I can sit here if I want…it's not like anyone will notice me. I can't cry though…I want to though…_The thought of crying is what made a tear trickle down the side of Kimini's face. The moment she realized it, she wiped the tear away and closed her eyes. _Stop it, Kimini, stop._

"Orinozuka-san?"

Kimini's eyes flew open and she looked up to see a lavender-eyed looking down at her. Yuki Sohma. Kimini's cheeks tinged pink.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yuki-kun…I'm..I'm okay." Kimini nodded her head, causing a few more locks of black hair to fall in her face, "I was just sitting here. I don't have another class for a little while so-"

Yuki cocked his head to the side, then got on his knees in front of her, "Honda-san told me about what happened in your class today."

Kimini stared blankly at him, "H-Honda-san? You mean Tohru?"

"Mhm." Yuki nodded, "She's a close personal friend of mine. You're the one who wanted to write about the cat, correct?"

"You probably think it's stupid too." Kimini pulled her knees to her chest, "Just like everyone else does."

"Well, granted, the cat isn't the animal I would have picked, but if you're interested in the cat, you shouldn't let other people's tauntings get to you. Cliché' though it is, the truth is that you can't let what other people think get to you. You should write that paper with pride."

Kimini smiled softly and nodded a little. Yuki smiled as well and stood up, then helped Kimini to her feet.

"If you want some help with your paper, I'm sure Honda-san could help you." Yuki brushed a lock of hair out his face, "She's…um…visiting my house tonight. If you'd like, you're welcome to come and you can talk with her about it. My entire family is very interesting in the zodiac. I'm sure they'd enjoy your company."

Kimini flushed down to her roots, "Oh, no, it's okay! I'll just stay home tonight and work on my paper and such. I don't want to intrude."

"It wouldn't be an intrusion. I'm inviting you."

Kimini sighed a little and thought on the matter. Yuki's invitation seemed sincere and Kimini was in no position to turn down sincerity and the possibility of making friends.

"Okay. I'll come."

"You invited her to dinner?"

"Yes. It was really Tohru's idea."

"You didn't have to actually do it! Damn it…that girl's a pain…"

"That's just you're opinion. She seems very sweet."

"I don't want her there!"

"Well, that's to bad, because she's coming over tonight and you are going to be nice to her."

"Who are you to tell me what to do?! Damn rat…"

"Stupid cat…"

**And that's it for chapter 1. I know it seems stupid and done a million times before right now, but it gets better as it goes on. Wow, I sound so pathetic right now. lol. slaps self Okay, no more pathetic..ness…if that's a word.**


	2. Harsh Words

We're in the storyline, character building portion of the story guys

**We're in the storyline, character building portion of the story guys. So, don't get bored and stop reading! lol It's going to get interesting. Very interesting. Trust me on this one.**

**--**

"So, you're a friend of Tohru-kun at school?" Said a smiling Shigure at the dining room table that afternoon to Kimini.

"Well, actually, I just – "

"Kimi-kun and I have a few classes together." Tohru interrupted (which was very unlike her).

Kimini gave Tohru a questioning look _Kimi-kun?. _When Tohru caught glimpse of this look her eyes widened, "Oh, I'm sorry! I won't call you that if don't want me to! I just, I thought it was a bit easier than saying 'Kimini-kun all the time! B-but if you – "

"No, it's okay, Tohru-kun." Kimini smiled softly and waved her hands, "You can call me whatever you want to."

The school day had proceeded pretty smoothly after History class, and come the end of the day, both Yuki and Tohru were waiting at Kimini's locker to bring her back to Shigure's house. Tohru chatted up a storm with Kimini, loosening her up some so she wouldn't be so tense at Shigure, but as soon as she walked through the door, every ounce of confidence left her. But that lack of confidence didn't stop anyone from chatting and including her into the conversation. They were, as Shgure put it only a few moments earlier, "One big happy family, ready to welcome new members". To that, Kimini smiled and was able to look at someone directly when they were speaking, instead of hiding behind several locks of hair.

"So, Kimini – what a cute name – Tohru says you have a special assignment at school." Shigure smiled and laced his fingers together, then rested his chin in them, "What's it about?"

"We're supposed to write a paper about one animal of the Chinese Zodiac."

"Really?" Shigure chuckled a little, "Well, you've certainly come to the right house. Our entire family is quite interested in the Zodiac."

"Yuki told me!" Kimini looked directly at Shigure, her eyes lighting up and a smile crossing your face, "What's your favorite animal, Shigure-san? Mine's that cat!"

"Really?" Came Tohru's exicted reply, "Me too! I love the cat! I think it's so unfair that he didn't get to go to the party."

"I know." Kimini turned to Tohru, "The cat is just as amazing as the rest of animals, maybe even more!"

"My my, looks like you two have something in commons." Shigure smiled, "Along with Kagura, you could start your own year of the cat fan club."

While those threee chatted animatedly about the cat, Kyo sat in the corner of the room grumbling incoherently to himself. He wanted nothing to do with Kimini or her obsession with the cat.

_Last thing I need is another Kagura…._

Yuki, who was watching the three chat, looked back at the cat and rolled his eyes, heaving a sigh, "What are you doing?"

"Stayin' away from you guys. What's it look like I'm doing?"

"I don't understand why. Kimi-kun seems like a very nice girl."

"She's obsessed with me!"

"She's obsessed with the cat." Yuki rolled his eyes, "Not you. She doesn't know you're the cat. And she never will know. So come over her, be nice, and talk to her."

"No! I didn't even want her here in the first place!"

Yuki let out a sigh and turned his attention back to the rest of the group. Kimini was guessing what year everyone was born into.

"Alright, Kimini, what year was I born into." Shigure pointed at himself, "Can you tell?"

"Hm…" Kimini looked Shigure over, studying him carefully, then smiled, "You're in the year of the dog. Right? Both you and Tohru."

Shigure clapped, "That's right! Alright, what about Yuki?"

"I knew that from the start." Kimini looked at Yuki, "He's the rat."

"That's incredible, Kimi-kun." Tohru said, "How you can figure out what year everyone was born into. How do you do it?"

Kimini shrugged a little, "I don't know. It just…comes to me. I can figure out just about anyone. Except there's one person I haven't been able to figure out." Kimini turned and faced Kyo, "I can't seem to figure out what year he was born into. He fits so many different onces."

Shigure chuckled a little, "Well…uh…I don't think you'll figure him out very easily."

"I'm quite certain you won't figure it out." Yuki said, turning Kimini's attention back to him, "Not many people can."

"Well I – "

Tohru stood up, "Kimi-kun, I'm about to start dinner. Is there anything in particular you'd like to eat?"

Kimini looked up at Tohru, then back down at the table, he black locks of hair falling into her face, "Well…my dad used to make these really special riceballs. They had all kinds of meat in them and they were sprinkled with a special seasoning. I really liked them, but when he died…" Kimini shook her head, "It's alright, Tohru. Don't worry about it. I'll eat whatever you make."

"Go ahead. Tell me the recipe." Tohru knelt down in front of her, "I'd love to make it. Or better yet, why don't you help me?"

Kimini smiled and stood up, "Okay."

And so, the two girls set to work in the kitchen, leaving the men behind in the dining area. Shigure picked up his newspaper and read through the various articles.

"She's such a sweet girl." Shigure commented off-handedly, "Reminds me of Tohru in some ways. Kisa in other ways. She even has a bit of me and Kyo in her. Like…a mix of a lot in our family."

"That's a heavy observation to make after only knowing her for about an hour, Shigure." Yuki said.

Shigure shrugged a little, "That's just the impression I got. She's passionate like Ayame, shy like Kisa, a bit forward when she wants like Kyo, an essences of playfulness like myself. These traits are so blaringly obvious to me."

Kyo scoffed, "That girl isn't anything like me."

"She's got that forwardness like you, Kyo."

"What forwardness?" Kyo questioned loudly, "All I saw was a shy little girl who can't say a damn thing for herself! She's obsessive and way to much of a pushover! I don't get what everyone sees in her."

The room was silent for a while. When no one responded for a few moments, Kyo looked around, "What?"

"You're an idiot." Yuki said plainly.

"What? What are you – Oh….oh no…."

Kimini was standing in the doorway holding a bag of leeks. She stared directly at Kyo, her eyes full of emotion.

"I didn't know you hated me so much Kyo…I just came out to ask if anyone had a problem with leeks, but…." She mumbled and dropped the bag, "If you didn't want me here, you could have just said so…I'll leave now."

"No, don't go." Yuki stood up, "Don't mind him. Half of the time he doesn't mean what he says."

"That's not true!" Kyo snapped, "I always mean what I say!" When he realized what he'd just implied he stood up, "W-wait, I mean-I didn't…"

"It's okay, Kyo. I'm just going to leave." Kimini grabbed her bag off the floor, "I need to get home anyway. Homework and stuff."

"Wait, Kimini!" Shigure called but the girl was out the door.

"I'll see you all at school tomarrow!"

Tohru stepped out of the kitchen with a completed riceball in her hand. She let out sigh.

"Poor Kimini…"

"Now look what you've done, you stupid cat." Yuki glared at the rat, "You hurt her feelings. You better apologize to her tomarrow."

"Who're you to tell me what to do?!"

"He's right thought, Kyo." Shigure sighed a little, "The female heart is a fragile thing."

"Why're you always taking his side?!"

"It's the right thing to do, Kyo. She's hurt. You should – "

"Alright! Alright! Fine! I'll apologize to her at school tomarrow!"


	3. Unexpected Visitors

"Okay, I need my math book, a notebook and a pen…" Kimini mumbled to herself as she dug through her locker, "Where's my pen?"

She pushed a few more things aside and looked around. No pen was in sight. She let out an annoyed sigh and leaned farther in.

"I know I put one in here this morning…Maybe it's in the back." She pushed more things aside, lifting up her books and yanking out her bag.

"Hey-uh-Kimini."

Kimini jumped at hearing her name called, nearly colliding with the roof of her locker, and looked to see who had given her the scare.

"Kyo-kun." She said, holding her books tightly against her chest.

"Yeah, look…I just wanna say…." He scratched the top of his head and looked away from Kimini as he grumbled, "Sorry about yesterday night. I didn't mean what I said."

Kimini just stared at the orange-haired boy for a minute. She really had no idea what to say in response to his apology. Kyo looked back at her and, at noticing her stare and speechlessness, rolled his eyes and let out a 'tch'

"Say somethn' already. Gosh…" He snapped, "Why are you always so damn quiet?"

"I don't know." Kimini backed up a little, the small ounce of assurance she'd gained from the apology melting away to nothing, "I just…am…"

"Well…you should work on that." He shoved his hands into his pockets, "People are gonna walk all over you if you don't speak up for yourself."

Kimini nodded, "I know."

"Anyway, uh…" Kyo scratched his head again, "Tohru and Yuki and Shigure want you to come back to our place for dinner tonight."

"No, it's okay, I have to take care of my little brother tonight." Kimini turned her back on Kyo and shut her locker, "I should have been home yesterday, and since I wasn't he had to fend for himself and I don't like it when he has to do that, so…so, I'm gonna stay home."

"Bring the little bra-uh-bring your little brother then."

"No, really, it's fine. I have to go, Kyo-kun." Kimini stepped to the side and walked around the boy.

Kyo stood and watched her walk away, letting out a frustrated groan.

_She could have just brought the little brat. Not a big deal…_

"Thank-you for apologizing to her, Kyo."

Kyo's heart jumped to his throat when the sudden voice came and he whipped around to see Tohru standing behind him with a few books in her hands and a smile on her face.

"Yeah…whatever. She said she's not coming. She's gotta take care of her kid brother."

"Alright. We can invite her some other time." Tohru smiled, "Or better yet, we could go see her."

"Why are you so hooked on this girl?" Kyo said, ramming his pinky finger into his ear, "She's not all that amazing."

"I'm always up for making new friends. And you should be too."

"Well, I'm not."

"That's alright. I'm sure Kimi-kun will grow on you. And we'll all be friends before you know it! Anyway, we have class. Let's go."

"Yeah, whatever."

When the school day came to an end, Kimini headed home, stopping at the store for the groceries before getting there.

"K-kabuto! I'm home! Can you come help me with these bags, please?"

A brown haired, ruby eyed boy poked his head out of the kitchen and spotted his older sister struggling with 4 grocery bags, two in each arm. He smiled broadly and quickly made his way over, grabbing the two bags from her left hand.

"Did you get the supplies for the riceballs, onee-san?" He said and dug around in the bag.

"Yes, I did. And I got extra salmon too." She smiled, "So they'll be just the way you like it."

"Cool!" And the boy made a mad dash to the kitchen with the bags still in hand.

Kimini smiled a little and closed the door behind her, then went into the kitchen as well. Kabuto was digging through the bag.

"Where is it? Where is it?"

"Where's what?" Kimini questioned and put her two bags down on the counter.

"The extra salmon! I wanna see it!"

Kimini laughed a little and pointed to one of her bags, "In there, but why do you want to see it now? You can't eat it until I put it in the riceballs."

"I still wanna see it!"

Kabuto dug around in one of Kimini's bags for the salmon while Kimini got the rice cooker down from the upper cabinet and set it on the counter. Kabuto soon found what he was looking for and was staring intently at it. Just like a 10 year old boy to be overly interested in something as plain as a pack of salmon.

"Alright, the rice is cooking, it should be done soon." She said and grabbed the grocery bags to put the food away, "Did you do your homework yet?"

"Mom says I don't have to do my homework until after dinner!" Kabuto whined.

"Mom's not here, is she? Besides, you do better before dinner. You're brain is still working. After you eat, you're always asking me to help."

"That's because you're smarter than me!"

"Only because I'm in highschool, Kabuto." Kimini put a hand on her hip, "If you're gonna be smart like me, you should do your homework early. Now go."

Kabuto sighed and put the salmon down, then went into the living room where his book bag was and got started on his homework. Kimini sighed a little and continued putting the dishes away. When it came to tending for Kabuto, Kimini was the only one who seemed to be able to do it properly. Not even their mother did a very good job, what with her always out and about on some new business trip. And with their father gone, Kimini was all Kabuto had left. He looked up to her. Kimini was a confident, strong-willed, determined teenager I his mind. That's the image Kimini put out at home. She had to. For Kabuto's sake. Kabuto was only about 3 when their father died, so he didn't remember much about him. Kimini, however, had fond memories. One of which was him always saying that confidence is something everything should have. Confidence and independence. That's what Kimini tried to teach her little brother, despite the fact that she had yet to follow that very same lesson herself.

_--_

"_Damn it, where'd she disappear to?"_

"_Kyo, calm down."_

"_This is all your fault, you stupid cat. If you hadn't snuck up behind her like that…"_

"_Blame Shigure! He's the idiot who pushed me into her and!"_

"_I said I was sorry."_

"_Sorry doesn't change us back to normal, now does it?!"_

_--_

Kimini checked on the rice, then put the last of the groceries away.

"Alright, time for my homework." She grabbed her bag off the floor and started for the living room. It was empty. Kabuto's books were on the table, but Kabuto was nowhere to be found.

"Oi, Kabuto! Where are you!"

A pair of ruby eyes peered around the corner of the living room entryway and he smiled a little.

"Onee-san?"

"Yes?"

"I found…something?"

Kimini raised an eyebrow, "What did you find?"

Kabuto stepped back into the living room, followed by a small gray rat walking on it's hind legs. Kimini's jaw dropped and her bag slid from her shoulder to the floor.

"K-K-Kabuto…where…why…?"

"See, I was looking through my backpack for my pen, but I couldn't find it. So then I went outside to see if maybe I dropped it and this little rat showed up!" Kabuto picked the thing up and held it in his hands, "Isn't he cool?"

"Uhh…yeah…now put it back outside."

"What about the others?"

"More rats?!" Kimini took a step back.

"Not rats!" Kabuto nodded at the two animals as they walked into the living room, "A dog and a cat."

The dog was black with big, perfect puppy dog eyes, and the cat had bright orange fur. Quite different from your typical cat. It's eyes, ruby red and similar to Kabuto's and someone else she knew, stared right at her. The rat was small and gray with abnormally big purple eyes.

"I…uh…well…Kabuto, I don't think we should take in strays."

The dog looked offended at the 'strays' comment. Almost as if it wanted to say 'We're not strays!' or something along those lines. But dogs couldn't talk or look shocked for that matter. It must have been Kimini's imagination.

"But they were just out there alone. They looked lost. Can't they just stay the night or something, and then we find them somewhere to go in the morning?"

Kimini looked at the animals, then at her little brother. Heaving a sigh, she nodded, "Fine…"

"You hear that, guys?" Kabuto knelt down and looked at the animals, "You're staying here tonight!"

The dog, looking happy again, let out a bark. And not just any bark. A rather strange one. It sounded as though it just said 'woof'.

"What a weird bark." Kabuto said laughing, "You sound like a person pretending to be a dog or something."

Kimini rolled her eyes slightly and returned to the kitchen to get the rice. Kabuto and the animals followed her.

"Hey, no animals in the kitchen, Kabuto."

This time, the cat looked offended. And again, Kimini felt as though she was loosing her mind.

"But they're hungry, Kimini. Look at Orange Top, he's so hungry he's upset about it!"

The rat looked ready to burst into laughter when Kabuto said 'Orange Top'. The cat let out an angry pur at the rat.

"Orange Top?" Kimini said and scooped some rice out of the cooker, "Is that what you named it?"

"Yeah! Because his fur is so orange." Kabuto roughtly rubbed the cat' back, "Good name, huh?"

"Not really. It's…let me look at him."

Kimini got down on her knees and looked the cat directly in the face. It's expression seemed to soften slightly and it's ruby eyes looked directly into Kimini's eyes. She smiled.

"Kyo-kun. We'll name it Kyo-kun."

The cat looked a little more content with that name. Kabuto frowned in disgust, "Isn't that the name of that guy at school you're in love with?"

"Kabuto! I am not in love with him!" Kimini let out a small moan, "Stop saying that. I'm naming the cat Kyo-kun because his fur is orange like Kyo's hair. And I think we should name the dog Shigure." Kimini looked at the dog, who seemed to smile, "Kyo cousin's name is Shigure and he was born into the year of the dog."

"What about the rat?"

"Well that's easy. Prince."

"And you came to this solution…how?" Kabuto gave his sister a questioning look.

"You know Yuki Sohma? The guy from school I told you about? Well, Yuki has really big, pretty purple eyes like this rat does. So I thought we could name it Prince since that's sort of Yuki's nickname at school."

The rat didn't look happy or angry. His expression was pretty neutral. Kabuto nodded, "Okay. Kyo-kun, Shigure, and Prince. Now, can we find them something to eat?"

Kimini looked in the fridge at the groceries she had just bought and decided on things for the animals to eat. Kyo-kun and Prince shared some of the salmon she'd gotten for the riceballs. Feeding Shigure was was a bit of a hassle, as Kimini wasn't sure what dogs could eat. While she dug around in the freezer for something she could heat up quickly, a tub of ice-cream tumbled out. Before she could bend over to pick it up, Shigure had grabbed it and pried the top off with his teeth, then started licking the ice-cream. Kimini laughed a little, and watched the 3 eat while Kabuto was in the living room doing his homework.

"You know, you three are incredibly cute." Kimini said as she sat on the floor with he knees pulled up to her chest.

All three looked up from their food and watched her, the dog and rat were smiling, the cat was unmoved.

"Every time I say something, you react. Smile, frown…like you're real people. I've never met such charismatic animals before. Especially you Shigure, your expressions alone remind me of the Shigure I know." She looked him in the eye and rubbed his head gently, "I think I have a picture of him. My mom reads his books all the time. I knew it was him from the start, just a second."

Kimini stood up and grabbed a novel off the top of the fridge, then flipped it over and showed the dog a picture of the novelist Shigure Sohma. The dog seemed to frown a little. Kimini frowned as well.

"What's wrong? Don't like that picture?"

The dog shook his head. Kimini blinked a few times, surprised and scared at the same time that dog reacted so…human-like.

"I must be loosing my mind." Kimini put the book beside her on the floor, then pulled her knees back to her chest, "Maybe Kyo's apology and invitation was all in my mind. Must have been if I'm now sitting here talking a purple eyed rat, an orange cat, and a black dog as if they were people."

All three of the animals looked at her, expressions of hurt on their faces. Kimini smiled a little, "Sorry. Didn't meant to offend you." She shook her head laughing, not able to get past the fact that the animals were so intelligent, "But you know…ugh, I feel like such an idiot for turning him down now. I mean, I was hoping he'd come back and apologize and try to make it up to me. But when he did, I couldn't say yes. Why am I such an idiot?'

The dog, looking sympathetic, got to his feet and moved over to Kimini, leaning his body against her arm. Kimini guessed it to be a comforting gesture and she smiled and put her arm around him, "Aww, aren't you sweet?"

The dog nodded. Kimini laughed.

"Onee-san!" Kabuto poked his head in and Kimini looked up a him, "There's a girl at the door! She says she's looking for her pets!"

"Really?" Kimini looked over the animals, "I can only assume she means you three. Come on, guys."

Kimini stood up and motioned for the animals to follow. When Kimini got to the door, she smiled a little, "Tohru-kun?"

"Kimini! Wow, I had no idea you lived here." Tohru smiled and looked down at the floor, a broad smile on her face, "You found them! Thank-you so much."

"Actually, it was my brother who found them. Umm…we fed them. The cat and rat had some salmon from dinner, and the dog got into my ice-cream. I hope that was okay…"

"Fine!" Tohru laughed nervously, "That's perfectly…perfectly fine! They eat the sort of thing every day at home so…anyway, come on guys!"

The animals followed stepped out of the house and walked down the porch steps with Tohru who looked back for a minute and waved at Kimini. Kimini smiled and waved as well.

"I'm gonna miss those three." Kimini sighed a little as she closed the door.

Kabuto leaned against the wall, "Can we get a pet or two? Or three?"

"No."

"But you just said – "

"I said I miss them, Kabuto. Never said I wanted any of my own."

"You're no fun…"

--

"_What luck that the house we found was Kimi-kun's, eh?"_

"_Yes, we were very lucky. She took good care of us. And not to mention the fact that she named us fairly well."_

"_She named you?"_

"_Mhm. And she was right on with the names too! She named me Shigure because, in her own words, 'Kyo's cousin was born into the year of the dog.' She almost got Yuki's name right."_

"_What did she name you?"_

"_Prince. Apparently it's my nickname at school."_

"_Oh. Kyo, what about you?"_

_The cat said nothing._

"_Kyo?"_

"_Kyo's still a little taken aback by the things Kimini said to us. Anyway, I was surprised. She's much more confident and talkative at home than she was at our house."_

"_And at school. She barely talks at all."_

"_I guess it's just a matter of comfort. The more comfortable you are, the better you feel and the more confidence you have."_

_Kyo still said nothing._

_--_


	4. The Flood

Sorry I took so long to update this. I haven't been on the computer much. But hey, at least it hasn't been like…a month and a half (Which is the situation on another site I'm on and have a Fruits Basket store written. And it's a Shounen-Ai. HA. You can imagine how upset my readers over there are…) ANYWAY, this chapter is a tad bit boring, but it is important! And I don't think I edited it very well…haha

* * *

"Here." Kimini said softly and handed the silver haired librarian a book, "I finished it."

"Thank-you, Kimini-kun." She smiled and put the book beside her, "Taking out anything today?"

"I'm going to look at some books on the zodiac." She replied, "For an assignment."

"Those are in the Chinese History section." She said and pointed towards the back of the library, "Right past the Chinese Literature section."

"Thanks."

Kimini walked away from the librarian and made her way towards the back of the library as she had instructed. Inside, Kimini found it a bit unnecessary to find a book on the zodiac as she already knew everything there was to know, but she was struggling with her paper.

"I guess it's my own fault." Kimini mumbled to herself as she reached the Chinese History section, "I did pick one of the hardest animals to write about. There isn't much information on the cat…"

She found the section where books related to the Zodiac were and began scanning the book titles. The number of books available was limited to say the least. There were a total of 6 books. Kimini let out a sigh and pulled them all off the shelf.

"It's better than nothing, I suppose." She held them all against her chest, then walked out of the History section and back up to the librarian.

Smiling, she looked up, "That was quick." She took the books and began scanning them.

"There wasn't much to pick from." Kimini replied solemnly and handed the librarian her library card, "But I have to use something for my paper."

The librarian handed the books and her card back to her once everything was in order, "Well, I hope things work out for you."

"Thank-you, sensei."

Kimini left the library and started down the hall. She glanced down at her watch and, at seeing that it was nearly lunchtime, hastened her step so she could get to her locker and put her books away. As she got closer to her locker, she saw a familiar orange-haired boy leaning against the opposite wall. Kimini stopped mid-step and stared at him.

_What is he doing here?_

"I think I'll just go straight to the cafeteria…" She mumbled to herself and took a step backwards.

"Hey!"

Kimini winced as Kyo's voice reached her ears. She'd barely even turned around before he had seen her. Forcing a soft smile, Kimini faced him as he approached.

"H-hi, Kyo-kun."

"Yeah, look, I gotta ask you something." He shoved his hands into his pockets, "Do you…Do you wanna sit with us at lunch?"

"Us?"

"Me, Yuki, Tohru and her friends."

Kimini stared blankly at him for a minute. Was this some sort of joke?

"Uhh…I'm…actually I – "

"Just say something." He snapped, "God, what happened to you? You were so talkative the other night."

"Excuse me?" Kimini gave him a weird look.

"Nothing!" Kyo blushed, "Nothing. Forget. Are you coming or what?"

Kimini bit her lip, thinking hard. It could very well all be a joke and she'd show up in the cafeteria and look for Kyo and find them not there. Or, she could walk in and they would all motion her over and she'd be having lunch with friends for once. It would definitely be a first.

"Yeah." She said finally and nodded, "I'll come."

"'Bought time you answered. I'll see you in there then."

Kyo moved past Kimini and headed straight for the lunchroom. Kimini took a deep breath and went to her locker to put her books away.

After lunch, the day seemed to just fly by. Kimini's mood hadn't lifted at all; there was nothing she was looking forward to at home. So, what reason was there behind the day going by faster? Kimini simply shrugged the matter off and headed home. There was no going to Kyo's house that day. Well, there was an invite, but Kimini declined. Kabuto needed tending to and she STILL didn't want to bring him over, so, Kimini headed straight home after school.

_I feel like I'm being so rude to them. They're being so nice to me and in return, I decline yet another invitation to their house…._

Kimini grabbed the door handle of her house, still in thought _I need to stop using Kabuto as an excuse…_She pulled the door open and stepped inside with a giant _Slosh_

_What the…?_

Kimini looked to the floor and found it covered in water. She looked up. All the way down the hall, the floor was flooded with water.

"What is going on? Kabuto! Kabuto!"

"Kimini?!" Kabuto's voice returned from what sounded like upstairs.

Kimini dropped her bag and carefully made her way down the flooded hall and up the stairs. The upstairs hall was flooded as well. As were all the rooms. Kimini found Kabuto in his room, sitting in a chair with his feet pulled to his chest.

"Kabuto, what happened?! How did the house get flooded?"

Kabuto looked down, gripping tightly to his legs. Kimini looked at him.

"Kabuto." She said firmly, "What happened?"

The boy looked up at his sister and said in almost a whimper, "I left the water running this morning in the bathroom…"

"What did mom tell you about that?!" Kimini shouted in reply. Kabuto winced and pulled his legs tighter to his body, "You have to remember to turn the water off!"

"I know that!" Kabuto shouted back through tears, "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't un-flood the house!"

Kimini let out a sigh and rubbed her eyes _Shit…now what? We can't stay here…Where are we supposed to go? And what's mom going to think when she gets back? _

"Okay, Kabuto, come here. We have to get out. Where's your backpack?" She said and turned to leave the room.

"Outside." Kabuto muttered and got off the chair, "I also put your laptop and the memory box out there. Niether of them were damanged…"

At hearing the words 'memory box', Kimini whipped back around and looked at Kabuto. He simply stared up at Kimini with red, apologetic eyes. Kimini's expression softened and her lips curved into a small smile.

"You thought of dad's memory box?"

Kabuto nodded, "Of course. It's important to us…and mom too."

Kimini motioned for her brother to step forward. Kabuto, unaware of the fact that Kimini was no longer angry, hesitated before moving forward. Expecting something like a smack or a scolding, he closed his eyes slightly. But instead, he got a hug. For a second, he just stood there. Then, he smiled a little and hugged her back.

"Thanks, Kabuto." Kimini said softly.

"Aww, it was nothing." Kabuto said somewhat smugly, "I bet I could have saved a whole lot of stuff if I'd tried."

Kimini laughed a little and pulled away, putting her finger on Kabuto's forehead, "You're so big-headed. Keep it up and your head's gonna fall right off your shoulders." She pushed him a little and he stumbled, almost falling over.

"Now come on, we need to find a place to stay until we can get the house back in order."

* * *

"You invited her to sit with you at lunch?" Shigure questioned smiling at the cat, "How sweet."

"It was Tohru's idea." Kyo pointed at the girl, "She just told me to get her."

Shigure chuckled a little and turned his newspaper around in his hand, "Well, is she coming over tonight?"

"No." Yuki shook his head, "She said she had to take care of her younger brother."

"I see." Shigure nodded, "I don't see why she won't just bring the little guy over with her. We'd be glad to have him."

"I don't think it's because of her brother that she won't come." Tohru said softly

The boys all looked at her. She frowned a little, "I think it's more to do with the fact that coming over here would be stepping out of her comfort zone. In the house with her brother is her comfort zone. You said so yourselves that she was much more talkative when she was talking to you at her house. It's hard breaking away from you comfort zone."

Yuki smiled softly, "You're wise beyond your years sometimes, Honda-san."

Tohru blushed, "I am not! I just…It's what makes sense."

_Neechan, there's a house over there!_

_No, we can't go there! That's where Kyo and Yuki live. I don't want to bother them…_

_We've been walking around for a while now. I'm tired…_

Shigure's ears perked at hearing the soft voices from outside.

"Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Yuki looked over at Shigure.

"I think someone is outside." Shigure got to his feet and went to the front door.

Tohru and Yuki followed. Kyo stayed in his place, not wanting to get involved.

_Kabuto, we can't ask them. That'd be too much. Besides, after the way I've been treating them…I don't think they'd take us in anyway._

_You were being mean?_

_No! I wasn't being mean!_

"I know that voice." Kyo said standing up and going to the backdoor and sliding it open.

"There was no one out there." Shigure said and came back into the dining room with Tohru and Yuki, "Kyo, what are you doing?"

"They're out back." Kyo stepped outside and looked around, "I know that voice."

"So do I, but I can't place a name or face." Yuki sighed a little.

_Kabuto, for the last time we can't – _

_Kimini, look! Someone's watching us!_

Kyo's eyes locked with Kimini's and, for a second, they were just staring at each other. Then, Kimini broke the gaze and grabbed Kabuto by the arm.

"Come on, Kabuto."

"B-but…!"

"Hey!" Kyo ran over to them, grabbing Kimini by the arm before she could get very far, "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere." Kimini replied quickly, "Sorry if we bothered you. We were just – "

"Why do you still have your schoolbag?" Kyo tugged at the bag on her shoulder, "And why are you still in your uniform? You didn't go home?"

"Well, yes, we did. It's just that…well…"

"What the – your bag's wet?" Kyo snatched it off her shoulder and touched the bottom, "What happened?"

_Why does he even care…?_

"It fell in a puddle!" Kimini said and snatched her bag from the cat.

"What's up with that box?" Kyo crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the box Kabuto was holding, "Why are you – "

"Stop asking me so many questions! None of this is any of your business!"

Kimini covered her mouth, surprised that such a loud angry voice came from her body. Kyo just stared at her, his mouth partially open. Letting out a 'tsch', Kyo turned on his heel and went back inside, shoving Shigure, Yuki, and Tohru aside. The three watched Kyo disappear, then turned their attention back to Kimini who was still standing with her hand over her mouth. Her expression of shock melted into one that said she was sorry. Biting her lip, she motioned for Kabuto to follow her.

"Come on…"

"Hang on, Kimini." Shigure said and walked out to her. Kimini let out a soft sigh and didn't look at him.

"What?"

"Where are you two headed in the middle of the night with all these things? Book bags, laptops…what's going on?"

"I-it's nothing, Sohma-san, it's just…well…"

Kabuto let out a frustrated groan and put the box on the ground, then put his hands on his hips, "I left the water running at our house this morning, so now the entire place is flooded. Everything's soaked and we can't stay there until things get cleaned up. So, can we stay here?"

"Kabuto!" Kimini scolded.

Shigure let out a laugh and ruffled the boy's head, "Forward one, isn't he? I take it he's your little brother? You two are more than welcome to stay here until your home is back in order."

"No, it's okay." Kimini shook her head, "I couldn't. That's asking way too much."

"No it's not." Shigure placed a hand on Kimini's back and pushed her towards the house, "We've got plenty of room."

"Alright!" Kabuto cheered and grabbed the box, then ran into the house past Yuki and Tohru.

Laughing, the two followed him. Shigure chuckled as well and Kimini merely sighed.

"Come on now, you can't stand out here all night." Shigure urged her to go inside, "It's no problem at all for you to stay here."

There was obviously no fighting it. Kabuto was already settled and Shigure seemed to have no problem with it. Admitting defeat, Kimini went inside with Shigure.

* * *

I really really REALLY hated that chapter. My least favorite in the entire story. If you hated it too, don't be afraid to say it! haha. Anyway, review!


	5. Ayame

Alright, Chapter 5! Before we begin, I've got a review to reply to. Constructive criticism must ALWAYS be addressed.

**I like how the story's moving forward. I don't like how Kabuto and Kimini ended up at Shigure's house... It doesn't fit very well. What I thought was going to happen, was that after Tohru talked about Kimini's house being Kimini's comfort zone, they would visit Kimini and then discover her trying to hide the fact that her house was flooded. But the fact that it's not like that is not going to ruin my life. It seems VERY careless to leave the water running like that... Could it really flood the house like that? O.o  
**I understand what you're saying completely and now that I think about it, I should have addressed the comfort zone thing a bit more and not bring the house flooding thing in so soon. That should have waited until chapter 7. But most of the character development and plotline had been revealed, so I found it to be a good time to start the building of the main-main plotline.

And you'd be surprised at what leaving the water running can do to a house. haha. What I described wasn't even the worst of what COULD have happened. lol. So, yes, the house is indeed flooded.

ANYWAY, that's all I've got for you today. - moon eclipse shadow, thanks for that review. Your comments are always welcome, as that one review alone helped me improved some. Now I can push back a chapter I planned to bring in later without worrying about it. lol. So, yeah thank-you and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5

"Hai…Hai…Hai…Thank-you. Bye."

Heaving a sigh, Kimini hung up the phone.

"So, what did they say? When will the house be okay?" Kabuto questioned anxiously.

"They'll get to the house tomorrow and start the treatment for everything that was damaged. It'll take about two days. Today is Tuesday so we should be back home by Thursday."

Kabuto nodded, "Sorry again about leaving the water on."

"It's okay." Kimini said and affectionately ruffled her brother's hair, "It wasn't as serious as it could have been. And you're okay, so everything's fine."

Kabuto smiled and made his way back into the dining room where Shigure, Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo were all sitting. Kimini, hesitating to join them, slid down against the wall and sat on the floor in the hall, pulling her knees to her chest.

_If Kabuto can be so comfortable around them…I should be able to…But then again, Kabuto has mom's confidence. Plus he's the Tiger which makes him naturally talkative, outgoing, and ambitious. Unlike me…the sheep…shy and withheld. Just like dad._

"Kimi-kun?" Came a sudden voice.

Kimini jumped a little and looked up, seeing Shigure standing over her with a smile on his face, "Aren't you coming into the dining room?"

"Uhh…n-no. I mean, I will eventually, but I—" She looked up a the phone, "I still have a few calls to make."

"Make them later." Shigure held out his hand, "Kabuto told us about your house and how you'll be here until Thursday. We'd like to get to know you better in that time."

Kimini stared at dog's outstretched hand. Still hesitant, she slowly took it. Smiling, Shigure closed his hand around her's and pulled her to her feet.

"Come on now." He led her into the dining area, "Look who's joined us!"

Shigure pushed her to a spot beside Kyo, then sat down himself at the head of the table.

"Kabuto told us about your house, Kimi-kun." Tohru said, "You're welcome to stay as long as you need."

Kimini smiled softly, "Thank-you…but…Tohru, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Umm…are you living here?"

There was a long pause, during which Tohru and the Sohmas all looked around at each other. Clearly there was some secret amongst them that Kimini wasn't aware of. Yuki put on a smile and looked at Kimini.

"Yes. Honda-san does live here with us. She's lost her family, so we let her stay here with us."

"Oh." Kimini nodded, "I see…well…thank-you for letting us stay here for the next couple of days. I promise you won't even know Kabuto and I are here."

"I don't know about you, oneechan, but I will definitely make my existence known!" Kabuto said excitedly, "Kyo's gonna teach me some karate stuff! I'm gonna be the strongest – "

"I never agreed to that, you little brat!" Kyo protested.

" – kid in school! No one's gonna mess with me anymore!" He stood up and punched the air, "Hiya!"

Everyone laughed at Kabuto's enthusiasm and mock fighting skills. Kyo just grumbled to himself and turned his attention away from the boy. For the next hour or so, the group sat in the dining area talking. Kimini was just as quiet as ever, not speaking unless addressed. Kabuto spoke whenever the opportunity came. In fact, he was the most talkative one in the group. The mood had definitely lightened some as time passed. Kyo even got involved in the conversation, asking Kimini various questions about her home life and such. Eventually, the subject of the Zodiac came up. It was then that Kimini grew a bit more talkative.

"Oh really?" Shigure said, amused, "Kabuto here is the Tiger? Funny…"

"How so?" Kimini questioned.

"Our cousin, Kisa, was born into the Year of the Tiger as well." Yuki answered, "But she's really nothing like the Tiger. She's very shy and quiet. A bit more like the Sheep actually. It's funny though, because our family is so defined by our Zodiac animals, but 9 times out of 10 our personalities are the complete opposite of how they're supposed to be."

"Your little bro's more like Ayame if you ask me." Kyo commented offhandedly.

"You're right!" Shigure clapped his hands together, "Loud, ambitious, purposeful. I think he's the closest to his Zodiac animal than any of us. He's the Snake."

"Yes, Ayame is definitely true to his animal." Yuki rolled his eyes.

"I don't know Ayame, but I think Yuki is more like his animal than Ayame is." Kimini smiled at the rat, "Charismatic, hardworking, systematic, meticulous."

Yuki smiled a little, "Thank-you, Orinozuka-san."

"Oh, Tohru, I told you that Ayame is coming over today, right?" Shigure suddenly interrupted and turned his attention to Tohru, "He's coming for dinner."

Tohru's face lost all color, "He is?! Oh no, I have to start dinner! Who knows when he'll get here?! I have to be ready!"

Tohru jumped to her feet and bolted into the kitchen. It wasn't long before the sound of pots and pans and such filled the room. Shigure blushed.

"I could of sworn I'd told her about him coming."

"Your forgetfulness has sent Tohru into a frenzy…again." Yuki shot Shigure an annoyed look.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

"Hey, uh, what animal are you?" Kyo said, turning his attention to Kimini.

Kimini bit her bottom lip, embarrassed slightly at Kyo questioning her so suddently and embarrassed even more so at being asked to revel her Zodiac animal.

"I-I'm the sheep…" She said softly.

"Now THAT is amusing." Shigure giggled, "Hiro is the sheep."

"That little brat's nothing like the sheep." Kyo grumbled, "He's mean, rude, talkative, annoying…"

"I don't think those are zodiac defining traits, Kyo."

"It's true though!"

Kimini smiled and listened to them debate the personality of 'Hiro' As Kimini didn't know Hiro, she couldn't comment on him, and so she just quietly listenind to both of their views. Suddenly, the dining room door slammed open. Kimini nearly jumped out of her skin and she whipped around to see who had mad such an intrusion. The man, quite frankly, was beautiful. Locks of silver hair fell down to his back and about his face, framing his perfectly shaped face. On his perfect face were features just as faultless, the most faultless being his big, gem-shaped yellow eyes. He had a seemingly perfect aura about him and radiated beauty and perfection. His eyes drifted over to Shigure and locked on him. Shigure beamed.

"Shigure!"

"Aya!"

Ayame moved so fast that Kimini didn't even register that he moved at all until she saw him standing in front of Shigure holding his hands. She blinked a couple times.

"Ma vie! Mon amour! Je suis avec vous enfin!" Ayame exclaimed

"Pour toujours! Nous serons ensemble pour toujours!" Shigure replied.

"Jamais partie!"

"Jamais partie!"

"Will the two of you SHUT THE HELL UP?!"

(Note: Don't worry about what Ayame and Shigure said in French. It's translated at the end of the chapter)

Kimini was about ready to fall out on the floor in shock and fear of the whole scene. For one, she had no idea what Shigure and Ayame were saying, and secondly, Kyo's interruption was so loud that it could have deafened Kimini if he'd been facing her when he said it. Ayame let out a giggle and let go of Shigure's hands.

"My apologies. I just get so excited when I see Shigure." His voice was deep and smooth, and sent a positive tingle down Kimini's spine.

"And I Ayame." Shigure sat back down, "Oh, gosh, how rude of us! We have company!"

Ayame's eyes snapped to Kabuto and Kimini and the girl's heart stopped for a minute, then quickened it's beat.

"Ayame, this Orinozuka Kimini and her brother Kabuto. They had a bit of accident at their home, so they're staying with us until Thursday."

It took only a second for Ayame to make his way over to Kimini, get down on one knee in front of her, and take her hand into his.

"Bonsoir, jeune dame" He said softly, "I am Ayame Sohma. I am very pleased to meet you."

The greeting was ended with a kiss on the hand. Kimini's heart was already pounding, but the kiss made it kick into overdrive and she felt herself getting dizzy.

"I-I…uh…h-e…"

And Kimini finally did pass out. Her hand slipped from Ayame's as she fell backwards. Lucky for her, Kabuto reached out and caught her.

"Kimini! Kimini, wake-up!"

"Damn it, Ayame, what the hell did you do to here?" Kyo said, shoving the snake away from the unconscious girl.

"I swear, I did nothing!" Ayame said defensively, "It was a simple greeting."

"She just passed out!"

"Kyo calm down." Shigure stood up and moved over to Kimini, then took his fan off the table and opened it up, "She just got a bit overwhelmed is all. It's perfectly natural."

The cool air from Shigure's fan didn't seem to be doing much of anything for a good 10 minutes, but the dog persisted on with it.

"You know." Shigure said, breaking the silence the fallen among the group, "She seemed to open up a little more tonight."

"A little, yes." Yuki agreed, "But only when were talking about the Zodiac."

"This girl knows the Sohma secret?" Ayame questioned in a low tone, staring straight at Shigure.

"No, No. We were just talking about the animals of the Zodiac, Ayame. She doesn't know anything about our family's secret."

"Family secret?"

Everyone had completely forgotten at Kabuto was still in the room. Their hearts all stopped at once. They nearly revealed information about the Sohma curse right in front of him. Shigure stopped fanning Kimini for a second and smiled at Kabuto.

"Oh, it's just something that has to do with our family. We need to have a short little discussion about it, so would go help Tohru in the kitchen? Tell her we're discussing the secret and that you can't be in here."

"But what about Kimini? And why can't I hear this secret? I won't tell anyone!"

"Just go!" Kyo snapped.

Kabuto, pouting, laid Kimini on the floor, then stood up and went into the kitchen.

Ayame let out a sigh of relief, "That was to close. If either of them were to find out, Akito would have more prey. You all remember what happened with Young Miss Tohru."

"We'll never forget." Yuki shook his head and let out a sigh, "Never…"

"That was horrible." Kyo added, his voice just barely over a whisper, "That never needs to happen again."

"Which is exactly why we must be careful while she stays here." Shigure said firmly, "If, by chance, one of us transforms in front of her, the only thing we can do is…well….knock her out, unfortunately, then assure when she wakes that nothing happened."

The snake, rat, and cat all nodded, and Shigure went back to fanning Kimini.

* * *

Here are the french translations. lol.

Ma vie! Mon amour! Je suis avec vous enfin!  
(My life! My love! I am with you finally!)

Pour toujours! Nous serons ensemble pour toujours!  
(Forever! We'll be together forever!)

Jamais partie!  
(Never part!)

Bonsoir, jeune dame  
(Good evening, young lady)

Alright, so that's chapter 5. lol. A little more meat added to the plot, a bit more character development, and just a hint of foreshadowing (haha, let's see how many of you picked up on it). Reviews are love. :smiles: Funny sid note, The Sohmas weren't the only ones to forget that Kabuto was in the room. I did too. :blush: hahah. I was like "Oh crap, Kabuto's there! Ugh...now i have to edit..." lol.


	6. Like Part of the Family

Sorry for taking so long to update. A lot of things got in the way like my mom going to the hospital and my getting sick (I may have bronchitis :cries:) But I am updating now, hopefully you guys are still interested. lol.

* * *

Chapter 6

When Kimini finally woke up, Ayame showered the girl with apologies. Kimini smiled, blushing a little, and reassured him that it was fine and she was just a bit tired and overwhelmed. With that issue out of the way, the night continued on. Tohru prepared dinner and the entire group chatted happily as they ate, Kyo and Kimini the most quiet of the group. When the meal was done, Kimini turned to her younger sibling and told him that he need to go to bed.

"Come on, Kimini, we're not at home! I don't have a bedtime."

Kimini raised an eyebrow, "And when was this established?"

"When I said it."

Kimini rolled her eyes, "Tohru's gonna show you where you're sleeping, Kabuto and you're going to bed. You know mom would do the same."

Kabuto moaned, "But whyyyy?"

"How about this, Kabuto-kun?" Shigure said twirling his fan around in his fingers, "Go to bed like your sister says, then tomorrow after school, Kyo will teach you some of those cool moves he knows."

"Hey, I never agreed to that!" Kyo protested loudly

"Oh, come on, Kyo. He's just a little boy, how hard can it be?"

"Alright!" Kabuto got to his feet and punched his fists in the air, "I'm gonna be the strongest kid at school. Nobody's gonna come near me!"

"I just said I ain't teaching you anything!"

Kimini glanced over at Kyo as he shouted and got caught in his line of vision. As soon as their eyes locked, Kyo let out a sigh and crossed his arms over his chest, "I'll teach him a few kicks or something…"

Kabuto beamed, "ALRIGHT!"

Kimini smiled and got to her feet, "Let's get to bed then."

Kabuto followed Tohru and Kimini out of the dining area. Shigure smiled over at Kyo.

"That was very nice of you, Kyo." He said sincerely.

"Yeah, well…he wouldn't go to bed so…" He shrugged and closed his eyes, "How hard will it be to teach a little kid a few kicks and punches?"

Shigure smiled and looked over at Yuki was smiling as well.

"Oh, Kyo, how wonderful of you to be in love!"

Ayame's sudden proclamation completely shattered the mood. Yuki's face fell and Shigure let out a small laugh. Kyo glared at the snake.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, it's _so _obvious!" Ayame clapped his hands together, "You're hiding feelings for our little duchess and are trying to let them be known by being nice to her brother!"

"When did she become a duchess?" Yuki mumbled.

"Well Tohru is our princess." Ayame explained, "You're the prince, so Kimini must be our duchess."

"And what would that make Kyo, Ayame?" An amused dog questioned.

"ALL OF SHUT-UP!"

The room fell silent at Kyo's shout. He let out a sigh and glared at the snake, "I am not in love with her. I'm just trying to be nice."

"I wonder. Back when we were at her house, she mentioned that Kyo's apology and invitation before was all in her mind." Yuki mused and laced his fingers together, placing them on the table, "Kyo, are you maybe trying to make it up to her?"

Shigure looked at the rat, "I think you're on to something there, Yuki."

Yuki nodded, "You feel like you got rejected, don't you Kyo?" The rat's eyes locked on the cat, "And now you're trying to – "

"You're all analyzing this to much." Kyo interrupted, "I don't like her, I'm not trying to make anything up to her or try not to feel rejected or whatever. I just agreed to teach her little brother a few moves! That's it!"

Yuki and Shigure sighed in unison and let the subject die. When Kimini and Tohru returned, the subject of their school assignment came up.

"Oh right!" Shigure smiled, "Your paper on an animal of the zodiac, correct?"

"That's right." Kimini beamed.

"What animals are you all doing? Please, don't tell me you picked your own animals." Shigure said, looking at each othe teens.

"I chose the sheep." Yuki said.

"I don't know who I picked. " Kyo mumbled, "Not that I care."

"I think you chose the snake, Kyo." Kimini said to him, which got a chuckle from Ayame.

"I chose the tiger!" Tohru said excitedly, "I was going to do the dog, then I felt like I should do the rat, but then I thought it would be fun to do the monkey or even the cat! And – "

"But you settled on the tiger." Shigure said, halting Tohru's ramble.

Tohru giggled and nodded, "Right. And Kimini picked the cat!"

That got Kyo's attention. Sure, he'd heard Kimini when she announced in class that she wanted to do the cat, but he forgot about it almost immediately after.

"Oh, interesting subject choice." Shigure said grinning, "Why not the rabbit or something?"

"I wanted to stand out, be a little different." Kimini replied, "Technically speaking the cat isn't part of the zodiac, but, sensei let me do it."

Kyo's stomach lurched and a bit of anger at mention of the cat not being part of the zodiac, but knowing that Kimini was not only interested, but passionate about the cat, his anger was alleviated somewhat.

"Well good for you." Shigure put the fan he was twirling in his fingers down on the table, "If you need a few sources on research, I could talk to a cousin of mine who has some books on the zodiac. There's a few chapter dedicated exclusively to the cat that might help you."

Kimini beamed, "That would help a lot, Thank-you! I know there are a lot of mysteries surrounding the cat. Especially this one mystery…it's a bit strange, and some find it silly, but supposedly the cat had two forms."

The faces of everyone (with the exception of Kimini) fell somewhat. They were all so aware of how true that statement was. Kyo avoided looking Kimini directly in the eye. A sudden feeling of shame and uneasiness had come over him as he looked down at the black and white beaded bracelet around his right wrist. His fist clenched and he cupped his left hand over the bracelet. Shigure kept his eyes locked on Kimini, a sympathetic smile on his face _It's almost unfair how oblivious she is to the truth of that…_

"Anyway." Kimini shook her head, "Doing the cat just means I have a lot of work to do."

"Well, I'll invite Hari over tomorrow and tell him to bring those books for you kids."

The teens echoed words of approval and the conversation topic hastily transitioned to something else. The night slowly drifted on and around 8, the group finally disbanded and went off to do their own thing. Shigure went up to his room to work on his latest novel ("The chances of him completing even a paragraph are slim to none." Yuki had said), and Ayame had followed him up. Yuki and Tohru remained in the dining area to study for a little while. Kyo had gone up to his room, at least, that's what Kimini thought. But she received a different report from Yuki and Tohru.

"He's on the roof." Yuki said simply and flipped through the pages of his history book.

Kimini arched an eyebrow, "The…roof?"

"He goes up there to think sometimes." Tohru said, "Or to just be alone."

"Oh…" Kimini nodded, "I see."

"I think he'd be surprised if you were to go up there and talk to him." Yuki smiled a little and looked at Kimini.

She shook her head, "What would I talk to him about?"

"Anything." Yuki shrugged, "He'll listen…I know it."

Kimini got to her feet and looked up the staircase, contemplating whether to go up to her room or up to the roof with Kyo. He wouldn't listen. He'd probably just ignore her or tell her to go away.

"He won't listen."

"I think he will." Tohru smiled softly, "He wants to talk to you, but he doesn't know how."

"And how do you figure that?"

The brunette shrugged, "Just a hunch."

Again, Kimini looked up the staircase. _Maybe another day. _

Meanwhile, Shigure and Ayame were on the phone with Hatori. Shigure had the receiver sitting on the bed and the dog and snake were sitting on either side of it.

"Why am I coming over tomorrow?" A monotonous voice said over the speaker.

"Because the kids need your help with a school project." Shigure replied, "Could you bring over a few of your zodiac books? Specifically ones with information on the cat."

"I'm certain that Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru don't need my help with a zodiac paper. They're knowledgeable enough on the subject. Especially Yuki and Kyo."

Shigure let out a sigh "Well, it's not so much for them as it is for – "

"Shigure has the most adorable house guest named Kimini." Ayame said, grabbing the receiver and putting it to his ear, "She's staying for a couple of days and she needs help researching the cat."

Hatori let out an annoyed groan, "Ayame, give the phone to Shigure."

Ayame pulled the phone away from his ear, a puzzled expression on his face, and handed it to Shigure. Gingerly, Shigure placed it against his ear, "Yes, Hari?"

"I always knew you were stupid, Shigure, but this is the worst example of that."

Shigure's jaw dropped, "Hari!"

"That girl can not stay with you, Shigure. Tohru is more than enough." Hatori's voice dropped to almost a whisper, "Akito can barely stand her. Do you really think (1)he'll be able to tolerate another?"

"It's only for 2 days. Her house is flooded and has to be repaired. Please don't tell Akito about it."

"I will if he asks."

"It's not as though he's aware or even really cares what goes on."

"Tohru is there. You know he cares. Keep in mind, Shigure, that if I go over to your house tomorrow, he'll ask how things are when I return."

Shigure looked at Ayame who merely shrugged, unaware of what his cousins were talking about.

"Just don't tell him about Kimini. It's that simple."

Shigure pulled the phone away from his ear and placed it back down on the bed. Ayame smiled and bent over it.

"So you're coming over, Hari?"

"For a little while tomorrow, yes."

Ayame clapped his hands together smiling, "Wonderful! Now you'll get to meet our little duchess in person!"

Shigure laughed a little and crossed his legs, "You know, Hari, I think you might actually like her. She's so intelligent.

Ayame nodded vigorously, "She knows so much about the zodiac that you'd swear she were part of the family. And she has the most adorable features! Those eyes." Ayame let out a dreamy sigh, "I can't stop thinking about them. Those emerald green eyes. So drastically different from her brother's ruby ones. I suppose they get their different colors from their parents. Anyway – "

"Brother?"

Hatori was completely ignored by both the dog and the snake as the latter of the two continued, " – her hair is such a beautiful dark, honey blonde color(2). She obviously takes good care of it. She has a cute rounded face and – "

"Aya, You don't have describe her in detail right now. Hari will see her tomorrow."

Ayame giggled, "Sorry. It's not every day that you come across a girl with such natural beauty. It's a shame that she hides behind those glasses though. And I have noticed that she styles her hair to fall in her face. She's masking such divine features that I almost can't stand it."

"By all means then, Aya, have at her." Shigure smiled, "If she agrees, you can give her a quick little makeover."

Ayame's entire face lit up, "Really?! Oh, she'll be so much fun to work with."

"Just don't scare the girl again." Shigure warned, "We don't want her passing out again before Hari comes. Right, Hari? Hari?"

'Hari' had hung up sometime after Ayame mentioned Kabuto. Shigure shrugged and hung the phone up.

Out in the hall, someone had been listening in on the conversation. She blushed down to her roots, and quietly snuck by the door towards her room, tugging at one of her blond strands.

* * *

MANGA SPOILER WARNING. DON'T READ ANY FARTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT THE MANGA RUINED FOR YOU. IT HAS TO DO WITH AKITO.

(1) Just as a note, I do know that Akito is a girl, but for the sake of those who haven't read the manga, Akito will be referenced to as a boy. Also, the story is based more off the show than the manga.

AKITO SPOILER END.

(2) I changed Kimini's hair color. lol. If you look back in chapter one, you'll see in the first paragraph that her hair is black.


	7. Hatori

Sorry I took so long to update. I couldn't decide if I wanted one thing to happen or another. lol. ANYWAY, it's here now, so enjoy. Oh, btw, this story is KyoxOC but it also has some YukixTohru in it. None of that Machi girl (I think I spelled her name wrong. haha). There won't be many (if any) manga references in this story.

* * *

The next morning, Kimini was the first to wake up. Kimini's basic morning routine was to wake up and get ready, then go downstairs and get breakfast going for Kabuto, and the fact that she was in someone else's house was not going to break that routine. Letting out a yawn, she went downstairs to the kitchen and looked around.

"Now I have to figure out where they keep everything…"

It took her maybe 5 minutes to do it, but she found everything she needed and got started on the food. It wasn't long before the smell of food filled the kitchen and trailed upstairs and down the hall. The second resident of the house to wake up, Tohru, sat up in her bed and stretched, then climbed out and started getting ready.

"What's that smell…?" She mumbled to herself as she pulled her shirt over her head, "Someone's cooking. But who? I always cook breakfast!"

Half scared that it was Yuki or Kyo attempting to cook, Tohru yanked her door open and took the stairs two at a time. She threw the curtain open and opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced when she saw, not Yuki or Kyo, but Kimini.

"O-oh." Tohru said, letting out a sigh of relief, "It's you."

Kimini turned from the stove and nodded a little, "Yes it's…me…"

Tohru smiled a little and straightened her hair, "It's just that I smelled food upstairs and I came down here to see who was cooking. Yuki and Kyo can't really cook, so I thought they were down here. I was a bit worried."

Kimini smiled a little, "Oh. I see."

"I'm hurt, Honda-san. You've been giving me cooking lessons and I think I'm improving somewhat."

Tohru jumped a little at the voice that came from behind. Dressed and looking as dashing as ever, Yuki stepped into the kitchen, a small smile on his face. He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her cheek softly.

"Good Morning."

Tohru blushed a little, "G-Good Morning, Yuki."

Yuki smiled and glanced at Kimini cooking before moving over to the fridge, "Smells great, Orinozuka-san."

Kimini smiled, "Thanks."

The curtain was pulled back again and, this time, Kyo walked in yawning and scratching the top of his head.

"Why the heck is everyone in here at once?" He grumbled.

"We were all awoke and drawn in here by Kimini-san's cooking." Yuki said nodding at the pan Kimini was cooking in.

Kyo walked over to the stove and looked over cook's shoulder. His breath was hot on Kimini's neck and it sent a tingle down her spin and blush spread across her face.

"Whatcha making?" Kyo mumbled.

"Breakfast." She said simply and pushed him back, "Y-you'll see when it's done."

Kyo rolled his eyes and shoved past Yuki to get to the fridge. Next up to enter the kitchen were Shigure and Ayame. Shigure, newspaper under his arm, smiled and pulled the curtain back. Ayame came in behind him.

"Good Morning, all." Shigure smiled, "And Tohru, the food smells wonderful."

"Actually, it's Kimi-kun who's cooking." Tohru beamed and pointed at her, "She woke up early."

Shigure looked at the timid girl who simply put on a smile and turned back to the stove. Shigure beamed.

"Oh, now I get to taste Kimini's homemade food! I'm looking forward to it."

Ayame simply nodded in agreement. Yuki noted how quiet Ayame was and then, as if he'd just realized he wasn't talking, Ayame went into a rant about giving Kimini the 'Ultimate Ayame Style Makeover' There was only one person who hadn't gotten into the kitchen yet, and that Kabuto.

"I'm up, Kimini!" He said bounded into the kitchen, "Did you make breakfast yet?"

"It's cooking." Kimini said and moved past Yuki and Kyo to the other counter and started chopping some vegetables.

"Everyone, how about we all move into the dining room?" Yuki said, "I think we're crowding Kimini-san."

The group mumbled sounds of agreement and slowly filed into the dining room. Kimini let out a sigh and continued cutting. As she cut, she felt a tickle in her throat and cleared it to try and make it go away, but when it didn't, she turned away from the food and covered her mouth, letting out a soft, somewhat dry cough. Kyo was the only one who heard it and turned back to here.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She said, waving her hand and coughing, "I'm fine. Go ahead and sit down, breakfast will be ready soon."

Kyo shrugged a little and went into the dining area and sat down next to Tohru.

"Is Kimini okay?" Kabuto, who was sitting opposite Kyo next to Shigure, "I heard her coughing."

"She says she's fine."

'She was coughing?" Tohru questioned worriedly, "I hope she's not catching a cold!"

Shigure opened his newspaper, "It's possible. The temperature is starting to drop.'

"Or she could be reacting to something from her house." Yuki mused, "Maybe a fungal something. Her house is flooded after all."

"She says she's fine, so leave it at that." Kyo said impatiently.

"But if she's sick then –"

"It's just the weather." Kabuto interrupted Tohru who, no doubt was about to go into a panicked ramble, "Kimini always gets sick when Fall starts to come in. Her immune system isn't that great. According to mom, it never has been. Ever since she was a baby, she's been getting really sick around Fall and Winter, then she's fine all through Spring and Summer."

"Well that explains it then." Shigure said nodding.

"Ohh, poor Kimini!" Tohru said, lacing her fingers together, "It must be hard to be sick so often."

Kabuto nodded, "If she doesn't take her medicine, it could get really bad. One time she went two days without taking it and she was in the hospital for a week."

Tohru's eyes widened, "Oh my…"

"Okay, it's ready." Kimini came into the dining area holding 2 plates. She put one in front of Kyo, and the other in front of Yuki, "Let me get the rest…"

Kimini passed all the food out, then sat down herself in between Shigure and Ayame.

"I hope you all like it." Kimini said, picking up her chopsticks.

As Kimini had hoped, everyone had loved it. Shigure even commented that the food could give Tohru's a run for it's money. Breakfast went on for about half an hour, then Kimini started clearing the plates off. After bidding the elder zodiacs goodbye, the teens were off to school. The day wasn't much different from any other day. The only thing that was different was the fact that Kimini was around Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo more often. They talked between classes at the lockers and at lunch at the tables. Kimini, in talking to her new friends, had never smiled so much in one sitting. They were surprisingly easy to talk to. Almost as easy as those animals Kimini had spoken with two days earlier.

When school was over, teens walked back to Shigure's together. Kabuto talked Kyo's ear off with requests of what moves he wanted to learn. It got to the point where Kyo was just about ready to hurt the kid severely, but with a warning nudge from Yuki and a quick glance from Kimini, he kept his cool and just listened to Kabuto until they got home.

"We're back!" Tohru said cheerily and pushed the door open, "Shigure? Ayame?"

"In the dining room, Tohru!" came Shigure's unusually excited voice.

Yuki arched an eyebrow, "What is he so giddy about?" He dropped his bag on the floor by the door.

"I guess we're about to find out." Kyo dropped his bag and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Yuki leading the way, the group (excluding Kabuto who went upstairs to do his homework) went into the dining room. Sitting between Shigure and Ayame was a man looking to be around the same age as his cousins.

"Welcome home, guys." Shigure beamed, "Kimini, this my cousin I was telling you about, Hatori. Hatori, this here is Kimini Orinozuka"

The one known as Hatori turned his attention to Kimini and nodded. Hatori, Kimini noticed, was quite handsome, despite the emotionless expression he held. His dark hair fell just down below his ear and was styled to cover his left eye. His visible eye was dark grey and looking Kimini up and down.

"Isn't she as pretty as I described, Hari?!" Ayame questioned eagerly and tugged at Hatori's arm.

Kimini blushed at remembering the detailed description Ayame had given the previous night to Shigure. Letting out a breath, she bowed a little.

"It's nice to meet you, Hatori-san."

"Don't be so formal with him, Kimi-kun!" Shigure said chuckling, "You can call him Hatori or Hari."

Kimini simply nodded and glanced at a pile of books behind Hatori.

"Are those the books you were talking about yesterday, Shigure?" Kimini questioned.

"Hm?" He glanced at the pile, "Oh, yes. That's them. Hari had more books than I thought he did. I'm sure you'll find everything you need to know about the zodiac for your project."

Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo all found seats at the table while Kimini went over to the books and began looking through them. Just as Shigure had said the previous day, Hatori did have some books about the cat. Most of them were books of myths and stories circling the cat, but one book in particular read 'The Curse' Intrigued, Kimini flipped it open to the first page.

"'Over the years, our lives have changed a great deal. A curse laid upon us, doomed to cycle through for the rest of our days…'" She mumbled, "A Curse…?"

Hatori overheard her mumbling and turned his attention on her. He read the title and immediately snatched it away from her.

"W-wait, I was reading that!" Kimini said reaching for the book, but Hatori held it away from her.

"My apologies, but you can't have this book." Hatori placed it in his lap.

"Why?"

Hatori ignored her questioned and turned his attention back to the rest of the group. She heaved a sigh and picked up another book.

_It was talking about a curse. It might have been the curse on the cat…_

* * *

And that's it for this chapter. Reviews are love, critique is welcome, and flamers will be sent to their own fiery graves.


	8. Ayame's MakeOver

Chapter 8

I am SOOOOOO sorry for taking so long to update. I've been like…UGHH. I had finals and crap. And I had to pack and what not. There was a lot to do. School's out now, and I'm at my sister's for the summer and can finally update. sigh Hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently, but I'm not making any promises.

line break

Chapter 8: Ayame's Make-Over

"Isn't she knowledgable, Hari?" Shigure said, beaming, after Kimini explained her interest in the zodiac.

Hari nodded, "Very."

Hatori had been visiting for nearly an hour now. Most of the conversation took place between the adults and Kimini, leaving Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru to studying the zodiac books. Kimini smiled and brushed a lock of hair out of her face, something she very rarely did. Ayame took notice of it and turned his attention to her.

"Shigure, your admiration of her is a bit creepy sometimes." Yuki said.

Shigure pouted, "What? She's a sweet girl."

"Saying that's even worse…"

"Yuki!"

Hari rolled his eyes and tuned out their little argument. He noticed Ayame staring intently at Kimini and arched an eyebrow.

"Ayame, what are you doing?" He questioned.

Ayame glanced at Hari for a quick second, then turned his attention right back to the now confused Kimini, "I think now is the perfect time."

"For?"

Ayame got to his feet, drawing the attention of everyone in the room to himself. There was an awkward silence as Ayame moved from his spot and stood behind Kimini. The girl blinked a few times and tipped her head back, looking up at the snake.

"What are you doing?" She questioned.

Ayame simply tilted her head forward again then got down on his knees behind her. Kimini tensed up as she felt Ayame's eyes on her back. The snake "Hmm"'ed and ran his fingers through her hair a few times, sending a tingle down Kimini's spine. Shigure smirked and leaned his cheek into his hand.

"Makeover time." he said in a sing-song voice

"M-makeover time?" Kimini repeated, hesitation in her voice.

"Yes, I definitely think I can work wonders for you, Kimini." Ayame said in a very serious tone as he tousled her hair a bit, "You have so much work with…"

Ayame whipped a brush and a few hair clips out of one the pockets of his red coat, and began brushing Kimini's hair. She winced whenever a brush caught on a tangle.

"Ayame, you really don't need to do this." Kimini said, placing her hands atop her head as the brushing grew more vigorous and her head was getting sore.

"There's no stopping him once he's started." Yuki commented off-handedly and looked through one of the zodiac books Hatori brought over.

Kyo nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you're stuck 'till he's done."

Kimini let out a sigh, "Alright then…"

The brushing ceased and Ayame turned Kimini around to face him. His big yellow eyes looked her face over a few times, then gleamed with inspiration. Some lipgloss, blush, and various other things of make-up were next out of his pockets.

"I think I'm going to go make dinner." Tohru said and stood up, "Yuki, could you help me?"

Yuki arched an eyebrow, "You want me to?"

"Yes." She said, almost hissed and motioned for him to get up, "Come on!"

"Alright." Yuki said uneasily and stood up.

The minute he was on his feet, Tohru dragged him into the kitchen and the rat almost fell over.

"Honda-san, why so urgent?"

Tohru poked her head out of the kitchen and into the dining area, smiling a little. Yuki let out a sigh and followed her gaze. She was looking at Ayame who was applying make-up to Kimini.

"I really want Kyo to notice what Ayame does to her." Tohru said softly and moved over to the refrigerator, "I don't think Kimini knows that Kyo doesn't hate her."

"When did she get the idea that he did?" Yuki questioned and leaned against the counter.

"The first time she came over." Tohru pulled some vegetables from the refrigerator and put them on the counter, "Remember all those mean things Kyo said about her? She thought that he hated her."

"But he apologized."

"Yeah, I know, but I still don't think Kimini knows how he really feels about her."

"And you do?"

Tohru smiled a little and started cutting, "I think I've been here long enough to know how Kyo acts when he admires someone. He doesn't really know just what to say or how to act. Sometimes, he'll distract himself and try not to think about it, but when that doesn't work he gets a little bit more conscious of his actions."

Yuki smiled softly and moved over to Tohru and, standing next to her, helped her cut the vegetables, "You really are observant of us, aren't you?"

"I wanted to learn about you all. So I had to be. Anyway, if we're out of the dining room after Ayame finishes working on Kimini, Kyo won't be distracted by anything else, other than Shigure and Hatori, and can really focus on Kimini. I want them to be friends."

Yuki nodded, "I see. You're very thoughtful, Honda-san."

Tohru blushed, "Thank-you."

line break

"I think I've done it." Ayame said, putting a tube a lipgloss down on the table and smiling proudly.

Shigure laughed a little, "Took nearly half an hour, but you did it."

"I had some trouble deciding on colors." Ayame tousled Kimini's hair for the ten-thousanth time, making it fall perfectly over her shoulders and just barely cover her face.

"Well, can we see the finished product now?" Shigure sat up straight, "You've been hiding her face from us the entire time."

"Yes you can."

Ayame's smiled grew wider and he stood to his feet, then pulled Kimini up with him. Kimini stumbled a little, almost falling into Ayame. Luckily (for her and the Sohmas), she caught her own balance. Hatori let out a sigh and Shigure smiled, relieved.

"That was to close, Shigure." Hatori mumbled.

"It's alright now, Hari, don't worry." Shigure whispered back.

"Kimini, darling, go ahead and face everyone." Ayame urged.

Kimini let out a sigh and turned around to face the Kyo and elder zodiacs. Ayame held his breath and waited for a shocked reaction, but no such reaction came. Only Shigure's laughter, an amused smile from Hatori, and a sigh from Kyo.

"Kimi-kun, we can't see your face if you keep looking at the floor like that." Shigure teased, "Look at us."

Ayame lifted Kimini's chin, forcing her to look directly at the three. Now Ayame got the reaction he wanted. Shigure's smile grew ten times bigger, and Hatori looked pleasantly surprised. But neither expression matched that of Kyo's. There was amusment, no happiness. Just bewilderment.

"Well, what do we think?" Ayame questioned eagerly.

"Aya, I knew she'd look nice, but this is beyond expectation." Shigure laced his fingers together and continued to examine her, "Did you--cut her hair?"

"You cut my hair and I didn't even realize it?!" Kimini panicked and her hands flew to the top of her head.

"Calm down, Kimi-kun, I just trimmed your bangs a little. Remember when I told you to close your eyes? That's when I did it."

"But you put on the eyeshadow then!"

"Oh, well, I did that too…"

Hatori let out a sigh, "You shouldn't cut people's hair without their permission, Ayame."

"Well, it did her good didn't it?" Ayame placed his hands on her shoulders, "Didn't it?"

"I can't disagree." Hatori said, smiling sincerely, "You really did a wonderful job."

Ayame's face lit up and he clapped his hands together, "A sincere compliment from Hari!" The snake did a few twirls.

"And a deserved one as well." Shigure said nodding, then turned his attention to Kyo, "Well, what do you think, Kyo?"

Kyo's eyes slowly examined the sight before him. It was only a little make up and a few hair tousles, but it made an extreme difference. Kimini's hair, normally quite straight, seemed a bit wavier now (how Ayame managed that with a brush and his hands, we'll never know) and fell just below her shoulders. Her bangs had indeed been cut, so her green eyes were more visible and accentuated with some subtle, light shades of eyeshadow. Her cheeks were brushed with a light brown blush that perfectly matched her skin tone.

"I—I…mean you look…"

Kimini looked away, embarrassed, "If you think it's bad, just say it."

"No!" Kyo said hastily, bringing Kimini's attention back to him. A light blush appeared on his cheeks, "You don't look bad…"

Kimini smiled slightly, a feeling of relief flooded over her and she nodded, "Oh...good."

"She looks beautiful, right, Kyo?" Shigure looked at Kyo, a knowing smile on his face.

Kyo jerked back, his blush growing, "Well…"

"Tell the truth now, Kyo!" Shigure teased.

Shigure smirk wasn't helping his nerves in the least, so he looked away, however, his gaze landing on Kimini didn't help either.

"She's…yeah…" His voice dropped, "Beautiful…"

Kimini just looked at him for a minute. Of all people, Kyo was the last she expected to compliment her. A small, almost invisible, smile appeared on her face and she nodded.

"Thank-you."

"Now, Kimini, darling." Ayame turned Kimini around to face him. With a serious expression on his face, he looked right into Kimini's eye, "I want you to keep the make-up I used on you. Use it before you go to school tomorrow and keep your hair out of your face!"

Ayame's serious expression fell into a softer smile and he gently moved a lock of wavy hair out of her face, "You're sure to draw attention now."

Kimini just nodded, "Alright."

--

That's all she wrote. Obviously that ending was a bit of foreshadowing. Next chapter is Kimini and co. at school on Friday which will lead to some long awaited KimixKyo hinting. Plus, Kimini gets back to her house on Friday.

Reviews are love, Critique is welcome, and Flamers will be sent to their fiery graves.


	9. Bad Vibes

At the end of the last chapter, I said **Friday. **But I meant Thursday. lol. Kimini and co. at school on THURSDAY and Kimini gets back to her house on THURSDAY. Anyway, thanks for the reviews everyone. And now an update.

* * *

Chapter 9

Kimini made her way down the hall alongside Tohru and Kyo at school the next day. The day had only just begun and Kimini already wanted to go home. She couldn't take the people watching her as she went by as if she were some alien. Kimini hung her head, allowing her wavy blonde hair to fall into her face.

"I don't like this..." She mumbled.

"Kimi-kun, it's alright." Tohru put a hand on her back, "They've never seen you like this, so of course they're going to stare at you. You look amazing."

Kimini let out a sigh and briefly looked up again, only to have her eyes meet with a dark-haired boy passing by. His skin had an olive tone and his eyes were a deep gray color. Locks of dark black hair fell around his face. He stopped, looking Kimini over and smiling.

"Hi." He said.

Kimini just nodded.

"I don't think I've seen you before." The boy said and stood in front of her, stretching out his hand, "I'm Ryo. Shijima Ryo."

Kimini looked at the boy directly after hearing his name. He was familiar to her. Somehow.

"Shijima...Ryo..." She repeated softly, "You're in my chemistry class. With Yukisho-sensei."

Ryo blinked a few times, then nodded, "I am...but how did you know that? Aren't you new?"

Kimini shook her head, "No. I'm not. I'm Kimini. Onizuka Kimini."

"Oh!" Ryo laughed a little and shook his head, making his hair sway back and forth like wind-shield wipers, "Kimini. I know you. You're that girl who picked the cat for the Zodiac paper."

Kimini blushed a little, "That's right."

"I think it's cool that you picked the cat." He said with a soft smile, "It's very...different. I like that."

Tohru couldn't contain the happiness she was feeling at Kimini being noticed. A toothy grin spread over her face and she clapped her hands together, almost letting out a squeal. Kyo's reaction, however, was not so, for lack of a better word, happy. In fact, he wasn't to comfortable with the guy. He gave off a strange vibe that made Kyo uneasy. Letting out an annoyed sigh, he clapped a hand on Kimini's shoulder, drawing her attention away from Ryo.

"We've got class, Kimini."

Kimini nodded, "Right. Yeah." She turned back to Ryo, "Bye."

"Before you go, Kimini." Ryo shoved his hands into his pockets, "You wanna sit with me at lunch...maybe?"

"I was gonna--"

"Go ahead, Kimini." Tohru said excitedly and shook her by the arm, "You can sit with him today. Go on!"

Kimini smiled a little, almost laughing, "Okay. I will then."

"Alright. See you then."

And Ryo walked away. Tohru smiled and squeezed Kimini's arm.

"Gosh, Kimini, that's fantastic!" Tohru said, her voice unusally high-pitched, "We've only been here for a little while and you've been asked out already. I can't wait to see how the rest of the day goes."

"But he only noticed me because I looked different." Kimini said and started walking with the two of them, "Isn't that a bit...I don't know...shallow, maybe? He knew who I was when I said my name. If he were really interested, then wouldn't he have said something sooner?"

Tohru smiled a little, "You're no different from before, Kimi-kun. You just had your face done up and your hair looks a little different. It helped show how beautiful you really are. He noticed you because your normal Kimini features just stand out a bit more. Does that make sense?"

Kimini nodded slightly, "Yeah...I guess. It does. Alright."

"Tsch." Kyo said, shoving his hands into his pockets, "That guy doesn't sit right with me."

"What do you mean?" Kimini questioned.

"He's just...I dunno...seems like he's got some really bit secret about him. Somethin' bad."

Kimini's face fell, "Really...?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry about it to much, Kimini. Or you Kyo." Tohru said, linking arms with Kimini, "I'm sure he's fine. Let's just get to class."

* * *

_Ring...Ring...Ring..."Hello?"_

_"You were right. Onizuka Kimini. She was hanging around Kyo and that Honda girl."_

_"I see...Well...you'll be my eyes and keep a good watch on her, right?"_

_"But of course. That's my job."_

_"Good. Very Good. And do it well."_

_"Of course, sir."_

* * *

The library is almost always dead silent during freetime. Everyone usually goes outside or hangs around in the classrooms. But the few dedicated bookworms, like Kimini, spent thier time in the library. At a table near the Literature section, Kimini sat skimming through one of the zodiac books Hatori lent to her. She was reading a section on the personality traits of the cat.

"'With the cat not being part of the actual Zodiac, it's difficult to pin down specific traits on the Cat.'" She mumurred, "'There are a few particular traits, however, that can be certain. Temper, sometimes exhibiting hyperactivity and drive. The Cat is often said to be similar to the Tiger in the sense that they're both restless, reckless, impatient, quick-tempered, obstinate, and at times selfish. But these musings are simply observations of those who have...'" Kimini stopped for a moment, her eyes widening with surprise as she read the last few words, "'known and or interacted with those born of the Cat.'"

Kimini put the book down and fingered the pages a bit, "There's actually...people born of the Cat? But..that's not possible. There's no year of the cat..."

Footsteps reached Kimini's ears and she quickly looked up. Kyo walked up to the table and dropped his bag onto the table.

"Whatcha' readin'?" He questioned.

"A book that Hatori gave me." Kimini questioned and sat up straighter, "I was looking at the passages about the Cat."

Kyo cleared his throat, "Oh...w-what's it say?"

"Uhh..." She glanced down at the book, "It says that the Cat is supposedly like the Tiger personality wise. It says 'Reckless, restless, impatient, quick-tempered, obstinate and sometimes selfish.' But it's strange because it also said 'These musings are simply observations of those who have known or interacted with those born of the Cat'" Kimini looked up at Kyo, "But no one was born into the year of the Cat because there is no year of the Cat."

Kyo tensed up, a surge of anger over-coming him, but it was allieviated, again, by the fact that it was Kimini and she didn't know the truth. Plus her interest and passion for the Cat hit Kyo somehow in a way that calmed him.

_Hatori should have checked the books he brought over..._

"Well...they're just rumors, I mean...no one really knows." Kyo said, shrugging slightly.

"Yeah." Kimini shut the book, "But you know, now that I've read this, I think I can figure out what your zodiac animal is."

Kyo heart jumped to his throat, "Uh..w-what?"

Kimini smiled a little and stood up, picking up her book and slinging it over her shoulder, "I think you're the Tiger. I never realized it, but you have a lot of the Tiger's traits. Unpredictable, rebellious, passionate, impulsive. And not to mention restless, impatient, quick-tempered, obsti--"

"I get it!" Kyo said loudly, making Kimini jump slightly, "I-I mean..yeah...Tiger."

"So you are!" Kimini beamed, "Yes! I finally figured it out. Ahh...I'm so proud of myself."

Kyo couldn't help but smile a little, seeing her so extremely happy. Such a change from her norma, meloncholy self. So what if she was wrong? It's not like she could ever know what Kyo really was.

_The cat...the monster of the zodiac..._

* * *

Fin. Enjoy it? I did. lol. But, then again, I wrote it. ha. ANYWAY, Reviews are love, critique is welcome, and flamers will be sent to thier fiery graves.


	10. Two Days Without It

I meant to update sooner. I apologoze, These past couple weeks have been INSANE. My sister moved, so I've been busy beyond all explainable reason. But now I'm back and updating. Enjoy! There's a little bit of character development in this chapter. Kinda takes a look at the other ways Kyo and Kimini interact with each other. It's not always shy girl and guy trying to talk. Sometimes, they can be a bit…well…bolder with each other.

* * *

10: Two Days Without It

Kimini glanced around the cafateria at lunch, searching for her lunch date, Ryo. She breathed out a sigh. He wasn't there. Either he wasn't there, or he was hiding from her.

"It was all a trick." She mumbled and sat down at the nearest empty table, "I should have known. A little makeover didn't do a thing. That guy didn't want to sit with me...now I'm by myself. I can't even find Tohru or Yuki or Kyo or anybody."

Kimini's stomach lurched in anguish. Crushed didn't describe how she felt at that moment. Humiliation and Defeat: Now those words were much more suitable for the emotions swimming inside her.

_Stupid though it sounds...maybe he'll just show and say 'Oh, sorry I'm late' and laugh like the cute guys in movies do._

Kimini pushed the tray aside and laid her head down, letting out another sigh, "Why did he just blow me off?"

The metal clang of lunch tray slamming down on the table brought Kimini out of her moping state and into one of more awareness. She looked up and saw Kyo drop his bag down on the floor and sit down, not looking at her for a minute. Kimini blinked a few times.

_Tick_

_Tock_

_Tick_

_Tock_

_Tick_

"Knew there was somethin' up with that guy." The cat finally mumbled after a good five minutes.

"What d'you mean?"

"He stood you up, right?" Kyo took a large bite out of his roll, "And the way he was talkin'. He didn't give off a very good vibe. He's a jerk. Instead of sitting her moping about it, you should have found Yuki or Tohru or something."

"I did look for them. And you." Kimini sat up, slightly offended, "I couldn't see any of you."

"Tohru and her friends are sitting right over there." Kyo nodded towards a table near the left wall of the cafateria, "Yuki and the student coucil are over there." He nodded towards the right wall, "I just got here."

"Well, this place is crowded. To many faces to sift through." She mumbled, still attempting to hold her ground.

"Whatever." He grumbled and took another bite of his roll, "Could've tried harder."

"Well, I'm fine here, thanks." Her voice rose, "And if you're just going to sit here and go on about how stupid it was of me to not find anyone, then you can just go."

Kyo slammed his roll down, grabbing the attention of the students at the table near them, "I was just trying to be polite here and you're yelling at me!"

"I'm not the one yelling." Kimini replied, her voice, though a bit louder, still at a somewhat normal level, "You're the one making noise."

Kyo opened his mouth to speak, but he realized his anger had elevated along with his voice and he sat down slowly, took a deep breath, and looked Kimini in the face, "Look, I warned you about that guy. I told you right when we met him that I had a bad feeling and you ignored me."

"I thought you were just being paranoid!" Kimini snapped and stood up "Tohru and I both thought you were."

It was at the point where Kimini stood up that Tohru overheard the argument and stood up to watch, contemplating whether or not to interrupt. It didn't take her long to come to a decision and she quickly made her way over to them.

"Guys, calm down, please!" She pleaded, "Don't argue!"

"Tell that to her! If she'd just listen to reason—!"

"Reason?! What reason?!." Kimini said, picking up her bag, "Ryo blew me off. I get it. He was a jerk. I got it. I figured that out before you sat down. The least you could have done was try to offer me some sort of comfort, but you didn't!"

Kimini looked at Tohru, "I'll see you in class, Tohru. Tell Yuki I'll be seeing him too."

And with that Kimini walked off. Tohru watched her as she left, then turned her attention to Kyo who was getting up as well.

"Kyo," She said softly, "Did Ryo really stand her up?"

"Yeah." The cat grumbled as he yanked up his bag and held it tightly over his shoulder, "I knew there was something up with him. He's a jerk. I tried to explain that to her, but she just got all puffed up and ran off."

Tohru sighed a little, "Kyo, when someone's hurt, you don't point out their wrongdoings. The person is already down and upset enough. Reminding them of the bad things won't make them feel any better. That's why she stormed off like that. She wasn't being unreasonable or anything."

Kyo's eyes drifted from Tohru's face to the floor as her words helped her realize his own wrongdoing. He let out a sigh and the grip on his bag loosened.

"You've been doing so good with her so far, Kyo. Don't mess it up."

"What're you talking about?" Kyo mumbled, "What's wrong with you? All of you? Shigure, Ayame, Yuki, even Hatori. You're all acting like…I don't know. I don't even know! You've been treating me different ever since Kimini fell into our laps and I don't know why. And I wish you'd stop!"

With nothing left to say, Kyo stormed out of the cafeteria as well and down the hall in the opposite direction Kimini had gone. Tohru sighed and sank into the seat.

"Seems like they still have a while to go, doesn't it?" Came a male voice

A hand fell on her shoulder. Tohru jumped and turned to see Yuki standing above her. Tohru nodded and turned her attention back to the door.

"Yeah…."

(After School)

"Well, we're off." Kimini said, closing up her bag and handing it to Kabuto to put by the door.

When school was over, Kimini promptly headed back to Shigure's house with the others so she could get her things and leave. Her house was back in order and all that was left was to clean it, a task Kimini and Kabuto had to perform. Shigure sighed a little and stood up.

"You sure you don't want to stay an extra day?" He questioned, "We'd love to have you."

Yuki looked over at the dog, arching an eyebrow, "Why does it sound a little…wrong when you say it?"

Shigure pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, "Yuki! I swear, none of you trust me. I have no mischievous plans or anything, and yet you all believe I do."

Kimini giggled a little, "No thank you, Shigure-san. I have to get home. My mother will be returning soon and the house needs to be fixed up when she gets there."

"If you say so." Shigure smiled, "Don't be afraid to call on us if you need any help, alright?"

"Okay." Kimini nodded and turned towards the door, "Bye! Yuki, Tohru, I'll see at school on Monday!"

The rest of the occupants of the house (excluding Kyo who was up on the roof) waved and smiled at her as she walked out and shut the door behind her. Shigure let out a satisfied sigh and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm proud of her."

Tohru looked up at him, "What do you mean?"

"She's so talkative now. She doesn't seem as shy and resistant as when she first got here the other day."

Yuki nodded, "You're right. I believe Orinozuka-san is beginning to come out of her comfort zone."

Meanwhile, Kimini and Kabuto were making their way home. From the Sohma's house, it was only about 15 minutes away on foot. Kabuto, who was holding his bag and his father's memory box, looked behind him and, at seeing the Sohma house was completely out of sight, let out a sigh. Kimini glanced down at him.

"What's the matter, Kabuto?"

"I liked being there. At the Sohma place." Kabuto mumbled.

"It was nice. They were very kind, but now that everything's in order at our house, it would be wrong to stay any longer. We'd be overstaying our welcome. Besides, we need to fix the house for mom."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't have to remind me."

Kimini just smiled as they continued walking. They hadn't gotten but so far after the exchange that Kimini stopped dead in her tracks. There was a tickle in her throat and she coughed. The tickle was gone, but only for a moment as it returned again. The cough was louder this time, and her chest began to hurt. She coughed more and more. Her bags fell from her hands and she collapsed to the floor in a fit of coughs and weezes. Kabuto panicked and knelt down next to her.

"Kimini. Kimini! Kimini, relax! Take a deep breath."

But she couldn't breathe at all, and it was beginning to show by the paleness of her skin. Kabuto, realizing this, felt his heart stop out of panick. His eyes watered. His sister might be dying right in front of him.

"Kimini, please breathe! Kimini, don't do this! Please don't die on me right now."

She tried to speak, but instead she rolled over onto the ground. Her coughing continued for a little bit longer, and it soon stopped, but her chest was heaving.

"Kimini, when was the last time you took your medicine?" Kabuto questioned softly.

"2…2…days ago. Wendsday before the floo—"

And the coughing started again. It wasn't long after that Kimini looked ready to pass out. Kabuto got to his feet.

"Hang on, Kimini, I'm gonna go get help! Please be alive when I get back."

The only place Kabuto could think to go at the moment was the Sohma house. He made a mad dash there, praying all the way that Kimini was still alive. Still gripping for life. He banged on the door when he approached.

"Open up! Help! Shigure, Yuki, Kyo! Help, please!"

The door flew open and Kyo stood in the doorway and looked down at Kabuto.

"What the hell are you yelling about?"

"It's my sister! It's Kimini!" Kabuto was now on the verge of tears, "She hasn't taken her medicine since Wednesday!"

"W-what?"

Soon, Yuki, Shigure and Tohru were at the door.

"Kyo, what's going on?" Shigure questioned, "Why is Kabuto here?"

"Please, help me with Kimini. She can't breathe! She's out there not far from the house. If we don't get her to a hospital or something soon, she'll die!"

* * *

I know, tragic right? lol. Anyway, I apologize again for taking so long to update. Reviews are love, critique is welcome and flamers will be sent to their own firey graves.


End file.
